Macher chop – a Bengali style fish croquette recipe with leftover fish with detailed step-by-step pictures and simple tips, and tricks. Macher chop means a Bengali-style fish croquette. Boneless fish meat is cooked up with mashed potato and few Indian spices to make the stuffing of this croquette and coated with bread crumbs to finish it up by deep-frying. This fish chop is a very popular street-style snack in and around Kolkata. Though it is mostly served with bengali mustard sauce aka kasundi, however, tomato ketchup is not a bad option.
In our Bengali household, basically, rui, katla, tilapia, aar, or loitta mach(fish) is used for making this chop. Even tuna, cod, salmon, or any sea fish can also be used to prepare these fish croquettes by following the same Bengali style recipe.
Being a bengali, Though I love bhetki(Indian sea bass fish), but because of its high price, except making fish cutlets, I generally don’t use it making my macher chop recipe. Instead, I use quite less expensive fishes like rui or katla though aar, tilapia, or loitta can be used if suits. So this fish chop is not only a delicious evening snack, but it is also a pocket-friendly starter.
I learned this recipe from my mom, even I acquire her idea, how to make macher chop with the leftover fish. As you know, in our Bengali household, fish is always a must in our regular meal, so our freezer was mostly stuffed with it. Especially, when my dad bought a big rui(rohu) or katla fish and we got bored to have the fish throughout the week, but still, raw fish was left in the refrigerator. My mom didn’t think twice to finish those fish by making this chop.
Similarly in my home, when nobody in my family is ready to eat fish anymore. I apply my mom’s method. Don’t believe me, after frying this chop, it is finished in no time. Even my son asks for more when he was the first one to deny having more fish. Generally, I use the Katla or rohu(rui) fish belly for making this preparation as it contains comparatively fewer bones than the other part of the fish. But you can also choose other meaty parts of any fish.
Even, you may prepare these fish croquettes in bulk and store them in the freezer(the coolest cabinet of the refrigerator) for 3-4 days. To welcome your guests, pleasing your family, or partying with friends at home, it is a very good option. Just fry it before serving. But must keep the croquettes out of the freezer at least before 15 mins of frying. Then fry it in low to medium heat to get the best result as it’s still chilled from inside.
Is this macher chop and macher cutlet recipe same?
In our bengali household, macher chop and cutlet are prepared in different ways so it is not exactly the same. Though tastewise, both are close to each other.
- Such as, mainly in our macher cutlets, we use boneless fish fillets(mostly bhetki or basa). Whereas in this macher chop, we use any boiled fish after removing its bones.
- Fillets are directly marinated in spices for macher cutlets. On the other hand, boiled fish is mixed up with mashed potatoes and few Indian spices to make the chop stuffing ready .
Though the last breadcrumb coating section is the same for both recipes.
Even for more detail about fish cutlets recipes, You may visit my website for
- Bengali Fish Fry Recipe(originally an Indian fish cutlets)
- Fish Kabiraji Cutlet Recipe
- Prawn cutlet or Chingri macher cutlet
You may try this fish croquette recipe during our upcoming Bengali festival “Durga puja”.
Even if you have any doubts or questions about this recipe, you can ask me too by writing it down in my comment section. I will surely answer your questions.
Macher chop – a Bengali style fish croquette recipe with leftover fish
Prep time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Total time: 1 hr 5 mins
No. of servings: 8-9
Server for: 4 people
Course: Snacks/ Starter
Cuisine: Bengali
Author: Moumita Paul
Ingredients
- 4 Katla /rui macher peti(300 gms fish belly)
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 chopped onion
- 1 tomato(medium to big)
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 3 green chilies
- a handful of coriander leaves
- 3/4 tsp cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp black salt
- 1/2 tsp dry mango powder(optional)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 6 tbsp oil
- Salt(as required)
- Oil for deep frying
How to make macher chop with step by step pictures
Instruction
- Take 4 medium sizes rui ot katla peti or fish belly pieces(weight 300 gms) without fat. Or take 3 medium size normal fish pieces or gada pieces. Wash it properly, then boil it in water with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder.
- Boil it for 15 mins or till the fish gets soft, by covering the pan. Turn off the heat. Remove the fish from the pan and keep it aside to completely cool it down.
- Once the fish cools down, first remove its skin.
- Then remove all of its bones. Make sure not a single bone is left behind. Even that could be dangerous.
- Take 2 boiled potatoes, peel out its skin, and nicely mash it with your hand or using a masher.
- Then mix the mashed potatoes well with the fish. Keep it aside.
How to make macher chop
- Put a pan on medium heat, add 6 tbsp of mustard oil into the pan. When oil gets hot, first add chopped onion to it.
- When the onion gets soft, add tomato and fry it till it gets soft too.
- Add 3 green chilies paste with 1 tsp ginger paste and then add 2 tsp garlic paste. Stir it well.
- Then add 3/4 tsp cumin powder, 3/4 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, and 1/2 tsp of chili powder in the pan. Mix it well with other ingredients.
- Then add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder to the pan. Mix it well.
- About after 30 seconds, add the boiled aloo-fish dough to the pan. Nicely mix it with the masala.
- After few mins, add a handful of chopped coriander leaves and again stir it well.
- Lastly, add black salt and dry mango powder or amchur powder(optional), mix well. Cook the dough till it gets dry and easily leaves the pan. Remove it from the pan and completely cool it down.
- Once the dough completely cools down, then start making some lemon size balls from it. Then make those fish dough into a cylindrical shape, flat shape, or ball shape. It depends on you.
- Take a plate with 1 cup of breadcrumbs, add 1/2 tsp salt with it. Mix it nicely. Now take 2 eggs in a bowl with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Mix it well.
- First, coat the dough into eggs then roll it into the breadcrumbs. As shown in the pics. Similarly, coat all the dough with breadcrumbs.
- After the single bread crumb coating, again dip it into the eggs and again roll it in breadcrumbs for double coating. This double coating makes the croquettes more crunchy due to its thick cover. Though you may skip it too.
- Once the double coating is done, then keep it in the freezer for 15-20 mins. This method will make its cover hard and that will create a perfect crunch after frying. Even its crispiness will exist for a long time.
- After 20 mins, take a pan, put it on heat, add oil(mustard or vegetable oil) and let it get hot.
- Take out the raw croquettes from the freezer, once the oil starts releasing smoke, add the croquettes into the hot oil. Fry it in medium to high flame.
- When the chop gets golden brown in colour from all sides, then remove it from the pan.
- Keep it in a paper lined plate to soak excess oil from the fries.
- Serve this macher chop or fish croquette with bengali mustard sauce or kasundi, tomato ketchup, and fresh salads. Enjoy with your family and friends.
Tips
- As fish peti or belly is lighter in weight than the other portions of fish(especially gada portion), that is the reason to replace 4 fish peti with 3 gada pieces to maintain the same weight.
- How to remove muddy odour from freshwater fish like Rui(rohu) or Katla before making this bengali fish croquette? Basically in summer, Katla or rohu fish contains a muddy odour. This odour is very strong in the fish’s belly portion. So whenever I’m using fish containing that odour, I generally use 1 tbsp of vinegar while boiling the fish. That almost removes the odour. Later the masala removes its completely. Even you may use lemon juice too instead of vinegar.
- Though I always suggest double coating to get the best crunch, you may use a single coat too. For a single coating, you need 1 egg and breadcrumbs in less quantity compared to my recipe.
- Here I’ve used mustard oil for frying the chop but you may replace it with vegetable oil too. Don’t worry it doesn’t differ in taste.
- As we need to fry these croquettes for making its cover crunchy. That’s the reason to keep the flame at medium to high till the chop gets golden brown in color.
- If you’re a little calorie conscious then you may bake these croquettes too in your microwave.
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